Champions Hockey League opens in August 2014 [without KHL Teams]

[mitch mdv zg]

Slovan can, others can't. Why is that so?

 

[vorky]

I dont know, ask someone who supports CHL, he maybe has more info than me and Medvedev.

 

[Jonimaus]

CHL replied jealousy, they said that Jokerit, Lev have no right to play CHL, no non-russian KHL club, except Slovan, has right to play CHL.

Why should anyone be jealous of KHL? How many clubs are surviving on their own again?

I know it was not Vorky who wrote it, but even you must realize: a lot of hockey europe is not looking at KHL with awe. We are looking down on you.

 

[Jussi]

Slovan can, others can't. Why is that so?

Jokerit were heavily involved in creating a CHL variation previously but the jump to KHL pissed off so many club bosses(not just in Finland, it's false to claim HIFK excluded them) that there was no way they getting in. I'm not sure what Lev's case was, but in general there was also no way they were going to allow the KHL to dictate the clubs taking part. It was the CHL way or no way. They wanted the KHL regular season winner and the champion or finalists.

 

[FreshFruit]

Jokerit were heavily involved in creating a CHL variation previously but the jump to KHL pissed off so many club bosses(not just in Finland, it's false to claim HIFK excluded them) that there was no way they getting in. I'm not sure what Lev's case was, but in general there was also no way they were going to allow the KHL to dictate the clubs taking part. It was the CHL way or no way. They wanted the KHL regular season winner and the champion or finalists.

But they can have 8 Swedish clubs playing in some villages, yea right.
I can't see successful CHL without KHL clubs. It's like removing Canada from NHL.

 

[Jussi]

But they can have 8 Swedish clubs playing in some villages, yea right.
I can't see successful CHL without KHL clubs. It's like removing Canada from NHL.

When those clubs help fund the league, yes. The founding members aren't in the league for free.

 

[FreshFruit]

When those clubs help fund the league, yes. The founding members aren't in the league for free.

Then the whole league is on weak legs and wrong foundations if they're neglecting one of the strongest clubs of Europe from biggest and wealthiest cities.
4 year free ticket is too much, especially for 8 Swedish clubs.

 

[BlueBratislava]

Why should anyone be jealous of KHL? How many clubs are surviving on their own again?

I know it was not Vorky who wrote it, but even you must realize: a lot of hockey europe is not looking at KHL with awe. We are looking down on you.

Then the whole league is on weak legs and wrong foundations if they're neglecting one of the strongest clubs of Europe from biggest and wealthiest cities.
4 year free ticket is too much, especially for 8 Swedish clubs.

And this is why I have 0 (zero) respect for the CHL. The Swedish point of view always makes me laugh, because I don't have any need to compare myself, or us as a whole, to Swedes like they think we do. I am a supporter of HC Slovan Bratislava regardless of what league we play in. Since we play in the KHL I educated myself about the current league and its problems. And I know for sure in the current situation for my team and people around, that it is much more beneficial to play 50-whatever regular season KHL games in 2014/2015 + (possible) Play Offs, than to play <10 CHL games in combination with the domestic league.
As I previously wrote, until this league will have something BIG to play for, it will be just a glorified European Trophy.

 

[Hemsky001]

But they can have 8 Swedish clubs playing in some villages, yea right.
I can't see successful CHL without KHL clubs. It's like removing Canada from NHL.

Well, the only Canadian club who has qualified for the play-offs is Montreal. I can actually imagine this season without Canada. haha

 

[Jussi]

Then the whole league is on weak legs and wrong foundations if they're neglecting one of the strongest clubs of Europe from biggest and wealthiest cities.
4 year free ticket is too much, especially for 8 Swedish clubs.

The league needs a strong foundation because of what happened the last time. Reebok pulled out of sponsoring and then Gazprom pulled out because Russian clubs weren't so dominant after all (everyone knows that was the main reason for it). That is what they wanted to avoid this time. Clubs bare the responsibility during the building process. By they way, not all of those Swedish clubs have access , only the 5 founding members of 7 Swedish clubs.

 

[Jussi]

And this is why I have 0 (zero) respect for the CHL. The Swedish point of view always makes me laugh, because I don't have any need to compare myself, or us as a whole, to Swedes like they think we do. I am a supporter of HC Slovan Bratislava regardless of what league we play in. Since we play in the KHL I educated myself about the current league and its problems. And I know for sure in the current situation for my team and people around, that it is much more beneficial to play 50-whatever regular season KHL games in 2014/2015 + (possible) Play Offs, than to play <10 CHL games in combination with the domestic league.
As I previously wrote, until this league will have something BIG to play for, it will be just a glorified European Trophy.

Isn't the title of European Champion something "big"? Or is money the only thing you value? Do football clubs and players play to win the UCL for the money or for for the sake of winning?

 

[punchonico99]

Other clubs to scared of being crushed by Lev?

CHL makes me laugh a lot.

 

[Jussi]

Other clubs to scared of being crushed by Lev?

CHL makes me laugh a lot.

Actually I think the reasoning for the exclusion was that countries that had teams from their domestic leagues could not have a KHL taking part as well.

 

[BlueBratislava]

Isn't the title of European Champion something "big"? Or is money the only thing you value? Do football clubs and players play to win the UCL for the money or for for the sake of winning?

OK, a European Champion coming from a "tournament" that does not include a league that has the highest amount of high quality teams (on euro-level) is nothing "big" to play for. It's like playing UCL and excluding EPL. Nonsense. I guarantee that a lot of smaller clubs in the UCL play for that money, so they can improve on all levels and later try to come back to UCL as a better team with higher budget. Also in the UCL the further you get, the more money you get and also your country's qualification ranking goes up.
There is nothing wrong with that, sport is business, and in the NHL it is show business. If there were decent prize money to win, you would be shocked that even teams from weaker hockey countries would put together a competitive team.
I can quickly remember Feldkirch, Manchester, Bolzano, who at the time were playing top level hockey. Imagine that x20, because there would be something to win to secure club's future

 

[robwangjing]

Well, the Norwegian champions will get a spot in the CHL this year. Stavanger Oilers.

Anyone know if they will play with their regular roster or if they will "spice up" the team with some higher level players? Perhaps some AHL-Americans or some Swedes?

 

[QnebO]

Isn't the title of European Champion something "big"?

"European Championship". No, it's not. If some Finnish team wins it, it'll be "meh" sort of thing for 99%. This is no different from the European trophy.

 

[Urbanskog]

Isn't the title of European Champion something "big"? Or is money the only thing you value? Do football clubs and players play to win the UCL for the money or for for the sake of winning?

European Championship without the best European teams playing?

 

[quartus]

Why should anyone be jealous of KHL? How many clubs are surviving on their own again?

I know it was not Vorky who wrote it, but even you must realize: a lot of hockey europe is not looking at KHL with awe. We are looking down on you.

You do know that many clubs in Sweden get huge benefits from their cities, right?

I'd say Gazprom money is way better than tax payer money...

 

[quartus]

Well, the Norwegian champions will get a spot in the CHL this year. Stavanger Oilers.

Anyone know if they will play with their regular roster or if they will "spice up" the team with some higher level players? Perhaps some AHL-Americans or some Swedes?

There are already many Swedes playing in Norway, but lower division class players. I don't think they'd up their squad for just a few games, though.

 

[Jussi]

OK, a European Champion coming from a "tournament" that does not include a league that has the highest amount of high quality teams (on euro-level) is nothing "big" to play for. It's like playing UCL and excluding EPL. Nonsense. I guarantee that a lot of smaller clubs in the UCL play for that money, so they can improve on all levels and later try to come back to UCL as a better team with higher budget. Also in the UCL the further you get, the more money you get and also your country's qualification ranking goes up.
There is nothing wrong with that, sport is business, and in the NHL it is show business. If there were decent prize money to win, you would be shocked that even teams from weaker hockey countries would put together a competitive team.
I can quickly remember Feldkirch, Manchester, Bolzano, who at the time were playing top level hockey. Imagine that x20, because there would be something to win to secure club's future

The point in neither the UCL or CHL isn't to get the "richest" clubs or the ones with the best players but the most successful teams (in the end). Don't forget that purses are being tightened in the KHL as well with them salary cap going down in the near future (as per Roman Rotenberg) and with the Russian government sponsoring sport less due to economy.

 

[Jussi]

"European Championship". No, it's not. If some Finnish team wins it, it'll be "meh" sort of thing for 99%. This is no different from the European trophy.

Yes it is, it's vastly different. Trying to deny it is just asinine.

 

[Jussi]

European Championship without the best European teams playing?

It's not the league's fault one league doesn't want to send their best teams.

 

[vorky]

It's not the league's fault one league doesn't want to send their best teams.

Not true. KHL wanted to send 8 clubs if I remember.

 

[FreshFruit]

The point in neither the UCL or CHL isn't to get the "richest" clubs or the ones with the best players but the most successful teams (in the end). Don't forget that purses are being tightened in the KHL as well with them salary cap going down in the near future (as per Roman Rotenberg) and with the Russian government sponsoring sport less due to economy.

Don't get this sentence.
Last time I checked in UCL the best and most successful football teams are the richest football teams. Bayern, Barcelona, Chelsea, RM have players salary more than some small countries earn in a year. Even middle top of the crop clubs like Atletico Madrid have players budget of 30 - 50 mill Euros.

Even if KHL tighten its salary cap to 25 mill euros that is as much as double of the richest Swedish teams. Plus, one player free from the cap rule wont be changed so rich clubs will always have the opportunity to get one big name for extra 8 - 10 mill $.

Today's Lev has somewhere between 25 - 35 mill $ in player salaries.

Yes it is, it's vastly different. Trying to deny it is just asinine.

No it's not.
Championship league in hockey should include 8 NHL, 4 KHL and at most 2 Swedish and 2 NLA teams to be called, Championship league in hockey.
Getting some villages from Sweden and Finland and calling it Championship hockey league is anisine. It's European Trophy, not even that without the best league in Europe.

It's not the league's fault one league doesn't want to send their best teams.

Last time I checked Medvedev wanted KHL in that CHL but wanted 8 KHL's clubs(4 russian and 4 non-russian) but for some reason CHL management refused to have so many KHL clubs and instead we have 8 Swedish clubs, call it an irony.

 

[BlueBratislava]

Don't get this sentence.
Last time I checked in UCL the best and most successful football teams are the richest football teams. Bayern, Barcelona, Chelsea, RM have players salary more than some small countries earn in a year. Even middle top of the crop clubs like Atletico Madrid have players budget of 30 - 50 mill Euros.

Even if KHL tighten its salary cap to 25 mill euros that is as much as double of the richest Swedish teams. Plus, one player free from the cap rule wont be changed so rich clubs will always have the opportunity to get one big name for extra 8 - 10 mill $.

Today's Lev has somewhere between 25 - 35 mill $ in player salaries.



No it's not.
Championship league in hockey should include 8 NHL, 4 KHL and at most 2 Swedish and 2 NLA teams to be called, Championship league in hockey.
Getting some villages from Sweden and Finland and calling it Championship hockey league is anisine. It's European Trophy, not even that without the best league in Europe.



Last time I checked Medvedev wanted KHL in that CHL but wanted 8 KHL's clubs(4 russian and 4 non-russian) but for some reason CHL management refused to have so many KHL clubs and instead we have 8 Swedish clubs, call it an irony.

Thank God that somebody sees reality on this forum. Just a little correction, the ratio was 4 Russian teams + 3 best non-Russian teams (one of them=wild card given to Jokerit). Also the CHL is making a mistake for not letting the weaker leagues' champions play qualification. Maybe we would be surprised by some teams, if they were actually given a chance to compete for a spot in the group stage. Giving a spot each to Norway and Slovakia is laughable, because I as a Slovak feel offended for being given 1 spot and then seeing a swedish ex-2nd league just promoted Djurgarden play. How are the weaker leagues supposed to feel, let alone average leagues? I am not surprised if KHL + rest of Europe will boycott this charade in the future, unless these people get a brain-reset.
PS: Please no excuses about the league developing. These guys had time and space to think through a qualification model, but they didn't. They rather stuck to the friends with friends model. Unlike CHL, the KHL was profiling itself as a pan-european league from the first press conference. Even though people laughed at it first, their long-term strategy is becoming reality. Like it or not.